Nested cylinder cooler



Oct. 1l, 1949. w. l.. MORRISON NESTED CYLINDER COLER 2 shets-sheet 1 l 27 az Filed July 10, 1944 Oct. 1l, 1949. v w. l.. MORRISON 2,484,307

NESTED CYLINDER COOLER i Filed July 1o, `1944 2 sheets-sheet z Patented Oct. 11, 1949 UNITED I STATES PATENT :OFFICE NESTED CYLINDER cooLEE n Willard L. Morrison, Lake Forest, Ill. Application July 1o, 1944, serial No. 5442ca My invention relates to an improved cooling mechanism.

One purpose is to provide a maximum utilizable cooling surface for the cooling of flowing liquids or gases through a relatively restricted space.

Another purpose is to provide an evaporator having an exterior and an interior primary cooling surface, Iboth subjected to the iiow of a. liquid or a gas, such as air, to be cooled.

Another purpose is to provide an improved cooling member including a plurality of nested evaporators, each of which has an inner and an outer primary cooling surface.

Another purpose is to provide a cooling member in which the air or liquid to be cooled flows in the same direction along the inner and outer faces of an open ended cylinder, the inner and outer face of such cylinder being substantially entirely direct or primary cooling surface.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings which' indicate various structures in which my invention is employed. l

Figure 1 is a plan view of one application of my invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig-` ure 2; v Figure 4 is a section on an enlarged scale on the line 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical section through a variant application of my invention; section is taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 6;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a vertical section through la still further variant of my invention in Whichit lis applied to the cooling of a liquid; and

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 4Q Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the speciiication and drawings.

Referring first to the form of Figures 1 tol,

I illustrate a portable air cooling or air conditioning unit. It is shown as including a base I and an outer housing having a rear wall 2, a

lower front wall 3, lower side or end Walls 4 and 1 a bottom wall 5shown as resting upon the base I. I illustrate an open topped intake duct 6 which may be of any suitableshape but isshown as generally rectangular in cross section. It extends to and communicates with a housing 1 on which is positioned a condenser 8 and any suitable motor compressor unit including a compressor indicated as 9 and having a motor 9a.` driving the com# 4 Claims. (Cl. (i2-129) pressor 9J Air is delivered `from the housing I through the discharge duct' I I with its open top I2. 'I hus air #is lpassedfaboutfor through the condenser I8. It will be understood that I may employ any suitable refrigerating circuit, and its detailsdo notfof `themselvesform partof the presenti-invention. However, the motor 9a may"drive*bo'th'tliecoinpressor 9 land the fan I0, the fan Ill beingieffective to draw air down theduct '6 and `to dischargel it upwardly along the duct Il Intherefrigerating circuit `which includes the condenser `8`and the compressor `9 I illustrate an`i`ev`aporator structure consisting of one ormore cylinders,` each of which surrounds a space through which thef air' to be cooled may flow. I illustrate a plurality of nested evaporator I with the wall`2. "I'hejtopfwall 22 may be aper tured as topermit `air `to flow downwardly about the" cylinders,v In Figure 2 I have illustrated two nests `of ,cylindersf The second nest t D beingunderstoodto` be in ,series with the iirst nestA, a total of six cylinders being provided in the two nestsyarranged in series betweenany,

suitable receiverandA the return duct to the compressorfl.' f Coolair flows `downwardly in the direction of; the arrows lFigures 'Zand 3 and may` pass out between louvres `24' in the lower part of the upperfront `Wall 20.` It will` be understood that this structure "constitutes merely'one eX- ampleofafcooling unit designed to employ one or more of myevaporators,"

Referring toy the specific evaporator structure, I` illustrate inFigure 41, three nested cylinders each of which includes anfouterfwall or cylinder 25 and an inner wall or cylinder 26, the walls beingl sealed together "at top andbottom as at 21, 28.

'Iheymay` beweldedidirectly together, or ller` rings 21a, A'tlztmay be used.' Any suitable means may be erriployecLwithin the cylinder, for maintaining afsubstantially .uniform distribution of refrigerant'.throughout.A the interior of the evaporator, across thek infneriace of the outer cylinder 25 and `acrosstlie outerjiface oiftheinner cylinder 26. I mayjior `example vuse Vrelatively loose rods 2879, gripped between" the inner and outer cylinders, but allowing a' measure of leakage between runs. The rods help define a tortuous path for the refrigerant. Thus substantially the entire outer face of 25 and substantially the inner face of 26 constitutes a primary cooling surface. Any suitable ducts 29 may bring liquid coolant from any suitable receiver forming part of the refrigerating circuit, and housed at any suitable point within the housing 1. A duct 30 delivers the coolant from the unit A to the unit B. A duct 3| delivers the coolant from the unit' Btothe'unit CA and a duct 32' carries coolant to the outer cylinder of the unit D. Finally, any suitable duct 33 carries coolant from the inner cylinder within ID` back to the compressor.

It Will be realized that I do not wish to be limited to any particular form of-'evaporatororto any particular number of eyaiporators., Ldo7 however, provide a highly efficient air cooling means in which one or more cylinders, preferably nested when more than lone is used, each having a primary surface both -iyithin andi without, are arranged in-the line. ofiow oftherair to-be cooled, the vair owing acrossrbothfiacessof theycylinderor cylinders employed. Thus va #highly :eineient heat exchange means-is-providedmwhich a-.imaxe irnurn. coolingareaY is.. Apositionedwithin an air directing duct: of minimumnross. sectional area. The same lOrinciple or structure maybe employed for vcooling othelgases, orliquids.

Anyy suitable meansmay :be employed torsupporting `andspacing the cylinders. I illustrate for example generally radial spacing, members 34 which; are preferably pf. a. material having. in-` eliicient heat. transfer. properties., vor including heat insulating portions4 which. actually: engage thecylinders A, B, andC, etc; f

Referring tothe for-m of Figures ,5. andv 6, I4 illustrate a` similar nest. .of.,.cylinders,,generally lindicatedv as E, arranged on itsgside.. In-thatstructure I illustrate a base- 4D. and a bottom. housing generally indicated as .4 I. inwhich ispositioned av condenser 4Z, a motor 43.afan4.4.,.a.compressor 45, anda receiver 46.. Liquidowsfromthe. re..- ceiver i6 along the duct .41 ,tothe outercylinder 48. It flows thence throughthe intermediatecyle inder 49 and theinnercylinder E0 andback. along the duct. to. the, compressor. 45, 52. isa duct extending from theV compressor. tothe condenser and 53, is a duct extending, from thecondensertoy the receiver. However, the particular. refrigerai'.-v ing circuit isnot a critical' factor..

The fan 4 4 is` effectivev to. cool, the, condenser coil d2.. Air may enter for example throughy any suitable inlets 41a in thel'ower compartment and' may escape through any .otherk suitable inletssuch as the louvres 42h. Asecondlfan SEIS .delivers air inwardly to the upper housing` Si), through. any suitable apertures 60 a,.for passageaboutithe cylindersV 4E, 49 and 501 This air may bedelivered through an air passage 6.011 Which is shown as terminating adjacent the ,ends o f theV cylinders. It will be understoodV that, the passage 601i may be extended, in tubular form, along Dart ofthe length or along the entire length, of' the, exterior of the `outer cylinder 48.. Intliat. event. .the outer cylinder 48 constitutes, the liner. ofi a, passage through which a fluid ows. It will` be understood that any number of.' cylinders may be employed. I may employ a single cylinder which serves as or defines a tubular space through which the fluid, such as a gas, may flow. Thev Cylinders may be inclined slightly for, draininganda pipe 62V is provided for carrying ol any condensation. The cooled air isshown as flowing from' the ends of the cylinders upwardly through the upper housing El. It will be understood however that a wide variety of housings or enclosures may be employed. Also, if a single cylinder, or the outside cylinder of a group, is employed as a duct for directing the air, the outer housing GI may be omitted, or may be replaced by a surrounding insulating sheath in direct contact with the exterior of the cylinder 48.

Referring to Figure '7, I illustrate a machinery olli cooler. lli `is any suitable base on which is mountedl ari-*insulating housingY H', and insulating cover i2. 13 is a supply pipe adapted to Adeliver the oil or other liquid to be cooled, into or 'its equivalent, may .be employed. 'Ehe liquid to be cooled, for example Y.oil used in lubricating machinery, may. :be permitted toV now through apcntures .ad in thebottom of the pan le. The oil flows downer. acrossthe inner and outer faces of the three cylindersandmay escape fromany suitable collector. `.8K at thebOttOm, as by. a discharge, duct Sl; The .alcove structure is given primarily for pnrposesof illustration, indicating a practical' means for .cooling a liquid. by causing.

the liquid to flow about, or along the opposite y, faces of! one or. more. evaporator cylinders, both the, inner and outer. faces ofi each evaporator cylinder consisting of. direct or primary cooling surface.A

As an example .of a practical method of distributing therefrigerant throughout the interior of the individual' cylinders, shown in theA various drawings. i-lledl herewith,Y I may employ the system illustrated. inV my cdpending `applic-.ation 363;' 743 Yled' October 3l', 19.40, United States Patent' O'ice under the title Method Vand apparatus for` freezing foods/7 110W Patent No. 2,*3'562'779'; `It will be understoodV that any other suitablemeans may be employed for obtaining a substantially uniform` distribution of the refrigerant throughoutthe space defined between. the inner and. outer wall of each of the cylinders herein described and shown.

It will be realized that whereas I have described andi illustrated a. practical and operative device, nevertheless many. changes-may be made in. the, size, shape, number and. disposition of parts without .departing from the spirit, ofV my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken. as in a broad sense illustrative .or dagrammatic,v rather than as limiting 'me to my. precise showing..

For instancdl. may employ a single cylinder, or a nest ofl cylinders. or a-plurality of nests of cylinders.. are `n,on-.cylilildrical in form. Each nest may have two or moreY ofsuch cylinders or evaporators. Asa matter of. convenience the nests, and the individual cylinders-or. evaporators in the nests, may be arrangedinseries in any suitable refrigerating. systempr circuit, However, this is a matter of. illustration. and. not a critical factor. I'may arrangethe individual evaporators or the nests of. evaporator-s.. in vertical position. or in horizontal position or in. any intermediate position. I, may employ, any, suitable means for di- I' may also use evaporators which recting the air, gas or liquid tobe cooled. I mayV employ forced draft, as shown in the structure of Figure or I may employ natural draft, as shown inthe structure of Figures 1 andfollow" ing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I provide a cooling unit or evaporator which, basically, includes an inner wall surrounding a space through which the fluid to be cooled may flow and an outer wall surrounding the inner wall. The inner wall and outer wall are sealed together at their ends and are spaced slightly apart, to define a space through which a refrigerant may flow. By employing suitable means for distributing the refrigerant, for evaporation, substantially uniformly throughout the space defined between the inner wall 26 and the outer wall 25, I produce a cooling unit including an evaporator having an outer face and an inner face both of which constitute primary refrigerating surfaces. The refrigerant is separated from the exterior of the evaporator only by the evaporator wall itself. While I illustrate my evaporator as in cylindrical form, it may be made noncyliridrical. In use, it may be positioned in the line of flow of a liquid or of a gas. The fluid to be cooled fiows both through the space surrounded by the evaporator and along the outer wall of the evaporator. For convenience and eiciency a plurality of evaporators may be nested together, as shown in the drawings. Where a group of evaporators are nested, and are positioned in a duct through which the air or liquid to be cooled flows, there is a maximum of heat exchange in a minimum space. The individual evaporators are strong and will resist high pressures without separate reinforcement. They are easy and economical to manufacture.

My cooling unit lends itself to a wide variety of uses. It may for example be employed in connection with air conditioning. It may be employed in cooling air for refrigeration, as where substances to be chilled or frozen are subjected to the flow of cold air or cold gas. Because of the efficiency of my cooling unit it is admirably adapted for use in situations where a maximum cooling effect must be obtained with a minimum use of space. Thus my unit may efficiently be employed in connection with cooling or air conditioning automotive vehicles and freight or passenger cars. Where my invention is used in connection with refrigerating or air conditioning equipment I can, as above pointed out, employ a circumferentially extending open ended evaporator to define a duct. In that event it will be advantageous to employ an outer insulating coating about the duct. However, where my device is used under circumstances in which its employment as a duct is not necessary, a great deal of cooling surface can be added by permitting both the exterior and the interior surfaces of the evaporator to act on the fluid to be cooled. In the form of Figures 1 and following I rnay find it advantageous to increase the size of the aperture 23, where a maximum flow and a maximum efficiency is desired, so that room air may flow directly downwardly across the outer surface of the outer evaporator of each of the evaporator groups, Stated broadly, my invention involves employing an evaporator which extends circumferentially about an area which serves as a duct through which a fluid, for example a gas, is caused to iiow. The direct cooling surface may bedoubled by permitting the uid to flow simultaneously about or across the exterior and the interior surface of the evap' orator. Nesting additional evaporators within an outside evaporator further multiplies the primary cooling surface to which the fluid is subjected.

It will be understood that the showing of Figures 5 and 6 is diagrammatic and lbrings out the fact that the circulation of air through the space in which the compressor-condenser is positioned is separate from the circulation of air through the cooling element. i

I claim:

1. In a cooling element adapted for use for cooling fiuids, a circumferentially extending cylindrical evaporator, a refrigerating circuit in which said evaporator is included, said evaporator comprising an inner and an outer inember, said members being spaced' apart and being sealed together `at their ends, and dening therebetween a space through which the refrigerant flows, means for so directing and distributing the refrigerant against substantially the entire outer surface of the inner member and against substantially the entire inner surface of the outer member, as to cause a substantially even distribution of evaporation effective to maintain substantially the entire inner surface of the inner member and substantially the entire outer surface of the outer member as primary cooling surfaces, the evaporator surrounding and circumferentially defining a space through which a fluid to be cooled may flow, the Aouter surface of the outer member and the inner surface of the inner member being both exposed to the flow of said uid to be cooled, a concentric, cylindrical fluid directing duct in which said evaporator is positioned, said duct being outwardly spaced from the outer surface of the evaporator, and means for causing a flow of the fluid to be cooled along said duct and across the inner and outer faces of said evaporator.

2. In a cooling device, a generally cylindrical evaporator surrounding a space substantially open at both ends, said evaporator including inner and `outer generally cylindrical walls defining between them a closed space, means for circulating a volatile refrigerant through said space, in direct contact with the inner face of each of said walls, and means for uni-directionally circulating both through the space within the evaporator and about the exterior of the evaporator, a fluid to be cooled, including a surrounding cylindrical housing.

3. In a cooling device, a generally cylindrical evaporator surrounding a space substantially open at both ends, said evaporator including inner and outer generally cylindrical walls dening between them a closed space, means for circulating a volatile refrigerant through Said space, in direct contact with the inner face of each of said walls, and means for uni-directionally circulating both through the space within the evaporator and about the exterior of the evaporator, a fluid to be cooled, including a housing surrounding said evaporator and spaced outwardly from the exterior of the outer wall of said evaporator.

4. In a cooling device, a plurality of generally cylindrical, generally concentric evaporators, each surrounding a space substantially open at both ends, each said evaporator including inner and outer generally cylindrical walls defining between them a closed space, means for circulat- 7 ing V:ai volatile refrigerant through said evapo rators, "and means foi` Auniciii'emtionanlly circulating a, uid to 'be' 'cnoiedfthrough the spaces betweenand Within said evaporators.

WILLARD L. MORRISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Name Date Giiesser 1 f July 7, 1903 Dung'an1 June 23, 1925` 'Dennisnn Dec. 11, 1928 Fourness Apr. 19, 1932l Rihards Dec. 25, 1934 Brown Apr. 23, 1940 Ko'ropehak` Jan. 7, 1941 Mahiscalco July 22, 1941 Hubbell Nov. 10, 1942 Morrison Aug. 29, 1944 

